Tokyo Babylon, book 2 Annex/Smile version 1, 990731 Artwork and story by CLAMP Translation by Ronny Hedin (thark@mangakai.org) --- Page 111 Annex/Smile --- Page 112 Boy: Hey, babe. Boy: You alone? Boy: Hey, are you a student? Jr High maybe? Boy: Or Highschool? Hokuto: Are you guys public servants? --- Page 113 Boys: Huh? Hokuto: Do you own a public company? A grave? Hokuto: A savings account? Hokuto: If you don't have either, don't raise your voice to me. Hokuto: You're a hundred thousand years too early!! --- Page 114 Girl: Kyaaah!! Girl: Somebody save me! Man: Calm down! Girl: Help! Save me! --- Page 115 Man: Hey! Don't struggle! Man: What!? Man: What do you want! --- Page 116 Man: Uwahtatata!! Hokuto: Haven't you made a slight misunderstanding？ Hokuto: That girl... Hokuto: The circumstances doesn't matter. Hokuto: But. Hokuto: Men who think they can treat girls as they wish go to hell! --- Page 117 Man: Hey you... Man: Wah! --- Page 118 Man: W, wait, you!! Let's talk about... Hokuto: HYA!! --- Page 119 Man: Uuh... Hokuto: Hurry! --- Page 120 Girl: *huff* *huff* Hokuto: Did they hurt you? --- Page 121 Hokuto: Cute girls walking alone just make idiotic men happy! Hokuto: I shook them off. Hokuto: "Can you speak..." Girl: I understand Japanese. --- Page 122 Man: There they are! Man: Hey! Over here! Hokuto: Eeep! --- Page 123 Hokuto+Girl: *huff* Hokuto+Girl: *huff* Hokuto+Girl: *huff* Girl: Th- thank you... --- Page 124 Girl: I'm... a gaijin. Girl: Why'd you help me? Hokuto: You're no gaijin. Girl: Eh? Hokuto: A gaijin is someone without a homeland. --- Page 125 Hokuto: I haven't really studied on people from other countries, but, you're a person from your country, ne? Hokuto: It's rough for anybody to be stuck as "gaijin". Girl: Why aren't you asking anything? Hokuto: I'm sure nothing would happen even if I asked. Hokuto: Surely, there's something important to you? that's popular, and Hokuto: "What's the matter? Has something happened? Please tell me." That'd be rude to you. --- Page 126 Girl: Rude...? Hokuto: But if you want to ask, that's fine. Hokuto: Above not talking to anyone, if you say you'd talk even to someone passing by, you'd talk differently. Girl: You're... an interesting person. Hokuto: Everybody says that! Girl: I... work at a "store". --- Page 127 Girl: The "store".... men come there... Girl: In japanese, it's called "kyabaraku" {cabaret club} or something... Girl: My country is on the other side of the ocean. It's been two years since I came here to Tokyo. Girl: We're seven in my family. Since my father is sick, my mother can't support the entire family herself. So I've come to work. --- Page 128 Girl: In my country, there are more unemployed people than ones who have work. So, I came here to Tokyo. Girl: But, I didn't speak japanese... So, there was no real work. When I sat at the station here in Shinjuku, hungry and with no money, my voice was heard... and my current employment began. Hokuto: But you're very good at Japanese! Girl: I was thaught by the costumers. Hokuto: It's good the costumers use standard language. Girl: There were many both nice and scary people among the costumers, but no matter how tough I found it, I was OK. If I work hard, I can earn money. Girl: But... Hokuto: But? Girl: The police is scary. --- Page 129 Girl: I don't have a visa. So, if they find me. Girl: I'll be forcefully depatriated. Girl: Those men following us before. They were from the police... Hokuto: Meaning they were taking you to the station... Girl: I fled from the "store". And then I was caught there. Girl: I'm the one not following the law. I'm the one who was wrong. I know that. Girl: But if I have to return to my country. Girl: My family can't survive if I don't earn the money. --- Page 130 Girl: Tokyo is a strange town. Girl: If you have money, you can get anything you want. Food and clothes and houses. Girl: When I was in my country, no matter how hard you tried, no matter how much you wanted, it was no use. Much has become mine in Tokyo. --- Page 131 Girl: But though I had my things in my country, Girl: There are two things I no longer have in Tokyo. Hokuto: Whaat? Girl: The first is friends. --- Page 132 Girl: When I was in muy country, I was poor, but at least I had many friends. Girl: Everybody was poor, but when I left to Tokyo, they all cried for me. Girl: But even if I die here in Tokyo, Girl: I'm sure nobody will cry for me. Girl: There's one more thing. --- Page 133 Girl: "Smile". Girl: Even if I smile, it won't make anybody happy. Girl: When I was in my country, if I smiled, it made my mother and my friends happy. They said they were happy when they saw my smiling face. Girl: Now, it doesn't matter if I smile. --- Page 134 Girl: Since in the dimly lit store, even if I smile, the costumers won't see it. Girl: Thank you. Girl: This is the first time I've been able to talk to someone for so long since coming to Tokyo... Because everybody's left whenever I've tried to say something. --- Page 135 Girl: If I'd just understood the words when I came here to Japan. Girl: I thought I would be able to cross the wall between people. Girl: So I tried my hardest. I wanted so mcuh to know about Japanese people. Girl: But I was wrong. --- Page 136 Girl: No matter how good I became at Japanese, We gaijin can't understand the hearts of Japanese. --- Page 137 Girl: Even if I understood japanese, friends and smiles didn't become mine. --- Page 138 Girl: Hurry and leave! If you stay here, you'll get in trouble! --- Page 139 Hokuto: I think you've said the most, but, Hokuto: Since that is work for the policemen. Hokuto: It's troubling for them as well. Hokuto: Even if they work whole-heartedly, the citizens complain. Hokuto: There are many who says "they should spend their tax-money better" etc, but, The people who work at the police also pay their taxes like everyone else. Girl: Hurry! Hokuto: You mustn't let go of me. --- Page 140 Kanji: Spell/Curse Hokuto: Enter. --- Page 141 Kanji: Evil spirit Hokuto: {no clue what this kanji means} --- Page 142 Hoktuo: Sorry about that! --- Page 143 Hokuto: Even though you told me they were the police. Hokuto: I'm the one who's done wrong! Girl: Why did you help me? --- Page 144 Hokuto: Because I want to become your friend! Girl: Huh? --- Page 145 Hokuto: You think you're trouble, but I want to become your friend. Hokuto: It's the citizen's duty to cooperate with the police, but When it's for a friend, it's slightly different. Girl: B, but.... I'm a gaijin, and... Hokuto: That's why I told you you're no gaijin! Girl: I work at a kyabaraku... Hokuto: The service business is the worst work in this world. Nurses and teachers and idol-singers, they're all in the service business! Hokuto: People who don't understand how hard it is aren't qualified to live. --- Page 146 Girl: Are you pitying me? Hokuto: No. --- Page 147 Hokuto: Placing "pity" on you after just hearing a little talk of your life, Hokuto: That would be rude to you. Hokuto: Your life is yours. Hokuto: Whether other people are pitiful or happy, is not something you can measure. --- Page 148 Hokuto: Japanese or Gaijin, don't divide people into such groups. --- Page 149 Hokuto: You and me, we're both humans! --- Page 150 Hokuto: I'm interested in you. How about you? Hokuto: Are you interested in me? Girl: Y- yes. Hokuto: Then, we've cleared the first step. Hokuto: I can become your friend. Hokuto: Your first friend here in Tokyo. --- Page 151 Hokuto: Don't cry. Smile. Hokuto: Since you're busy with work, I'm sure that sometimes we won't be able to meet. Hokuto: I'll worry. Are you tormented by somebody? Are you having scary thoughts? Are you crying? Hokuto: So that the friend I remember always smiles, Lessen my worries a little. --- Page 153 Hokuto: Smile. --- Page 154 Hokuto: Now then, let's introduce each other formally. Hokuto: I'm Sumeragi Hokuto! Girl: "My name is..."